ARRESTED

Massachusetts Man Charged With Murder of 5-Year-Old Found in Suitcase

The man dated the boy’s mother, who herself pleaded guilty in 2017 to assault and battery and reckless endangerment of her other children.

Jeremiah Oliver was just 5 years old when he was murdered and found stuffed in a suitcase on a Massachusetts highway more than nine years ago. His alleged murderer has finally been charged—Alberto Sierra Jr., 32, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Thursday. He’s now being held without bail after being arrested Wednesday, law enforcement said. “This case rocked the conscience of the city of Fitchburg,” police chief Ernest Martineau said. “At one point, we were Jeremiah’s family, 45,000 residents in the city, and we are here today, beginning the process of healing.” Sierra dated Oliver’s mother, who herself pleaded guilty in 2017 to assault and battery and reckless endangerment of her other children. She was sentenced to more than seven years in prison.